Funny, Crazy and Weird Stuff

Japanese anime has been a huge influence on comic book, TV and movie animation for decades. Does it still have the power to captivate and charm? Follow the flying panties and find out!

A ghoulish collaboration between Japan's Sanrio, designer Dr Romanelli and trendy toymaker MediCom has given the first anatomically correct Hello Kitty to a world that really wasn't asking for one.

Hate your alarm clock? Wanna hate it even more? Clockman has got loads of personality but what it really needs is a digital display - and a Mute button.

Building an exceedingly complex 1/16 replica of one of Japan's historic World War II warplanes won't cost you an arm and a leg when you buy weekly parts kits on the installment plan.

Exposure to the H1N1 Swine Flu virus is an extra hazard Japan's frazzled "salarymen" simply do not need. Fear not, honorable office warriors, Haruyama Trading Co. is riding to the rescue with a new line of snazzy looking, flu-fighting business suits!

Panda dung is green... who knew? Evidently researchers from Kitasato University in Tokyo did, and now the many hours they spent analyzing the leavings of leaf-eating giant pandas has them smelling like roses. 

Having covered every square inch of their cell phones with faux gems, roses, tiny cakes and Hello Kitty faces, Japan's legions of cute-obsessed girls are moving on to other daily use objects like contact lens cases.

Jewnail, a range of women's nail care and cosmetic products from Jill&Lovers of Japan, may have an unfortunate name but it's really about fashion, not fascism.

Weird art plushes When I was a young girl, I competed with my friends to have the largest collection of stuffed animals. Now that I’m an adult, I have noticed that I must not have been alone as there seems to be plenty of artists focusing their work in the realm of plush toys. While some of them are a bit strange, they are always fascinating. Funny enough, now my house is still filled with stuffed toys, only now I only collect weird artistic versions.

Pepsi Japan has done it again - the seasonal, weird, limited-time flavor of Pepsi Azuki soda exudes  the rich maroon hue and subtle sweet taste of prepared red Azuki beans.